Two held over TikTok bank account fraud network

Guardia Civil has shut down a TikTok channel used to recruit people willing to open bank accounts for cash, in a fraud investigation that has led to two arrests and a third person being investigated in Granada and Almería.

The operation, codenamed Black-Account, has so far identified at least 162 victims and recovered €38,000, according to investigators.

How the scheme worked

Officers say the profile offered up to €100 to anyone prepared to open an account in their own name. Those recruited were then told to hand over their login details and security codes sent by SMS, allowing other people to take control of the accounts.

The money moving through those accounts was then transferred between different banks, payment platforms and even cryptocurrency services in an apparent attempt to obscure where it came from and who was really behind it.

Investigators said the operation began after a complaint in Granada from one of the people affected a year ago. The work has since been led by the Guardia Civil’s technology investigation unit, which traced the flow of funds through financial and digital records.

Accounts under scrutiny

During the inquiry, officers found that one of the people under investigation had amassed 26 bank accounts across eight different financial institutions. They also found that almost €80,000 had passed through a single digital bank account linked to the probe.

The investigation remains open and further arrests have not been ruled out.

The Guardia Civil has warned that handing bank accounts to third parties can carry criminal liability. It also urged anyone who has shared banking details to contact their bank immediately and file a report with the Guardia Civil on 062.